Latest city information, May

Read on for all that a local Richardson business person might be curious about going on around Richardson.

Construction on a revitalized public safety campus will begin in July at Beltline and Greenville just east of downtown Richardson. Public funds came from the 2015 bond program. The jail will stay in the same location, while the police headquarters will receive a new building. The fire station will move just north, closer to DFW Chinatown.

Speaking of revitalizing downtown, the city council has approved a rezoning request for a mixed-use development at the corner of 75 and Main Street (Beltline) beside the Chase office building. The 14.5-acre development will include residential, commercial and restaurant space. It is the first significant private sector development in the downtown area since the adoption of the Main Street/Central Expressway Form Based Code last year. The direction of the revitalization of the downtown redevelopment was influenced by a citizen feedback session at the Chamber in 2013. North of the coming mixed-use area (residential, commercial & restaurant) will be an area for townhomes. Some of the current industrial space next to DART will be converted to green space (park).

Speaking of green spaces, an upcoming project will be developing an ArtWalk from the Business Council for the Arts (founders of the On My Own Time art shows you might have seen at an area business). The proposed route would begin at the Eisemann Performing Arts Center’s fountain area, wind through the Spring Creek Preserve, and wind up at the new public art at CityLine. (read more) A new piece of art will also be going up south of Eastside beginning this summer, a nod to Richardson's tech background.

Craig Hall Development will be putting up a live/work/play multiuse area at Custer/George Bush on 30 acres, named Hall Park at Richardson. Because Hall is so interested in the arts and giving back to the community, this structure with a large art piece to serve as a gateway to the city. Construction will begin in 2018. (read more)

It’s official. Fox Creek Park is the name for the new 13-acre park planned for the east side of the CityLine development. Scheduled for completion in early fall of this year, Fox Creek Park will feature greenspace, benches, trees, drought-tolerant native landscaping, a picnic pavilion, a playground and concrete trails that extend the existing Owens Trail, including a 12-foot-wide concrete-and-steel bridge over the creek. It will be located at the northeast corner of Foxboro Drive and Renner Road, extending north to CityLine Drive.

The secret is out. Richardson is #5 on the 2017 list of “Best Places to Buy a Forever Home,” by the personal finance website GoodCall.com. A total of 509 cities across the U.S. were evaluated based on six criteria including affordability, home values, population, educational values, unemployment and crime rates. “Combined with one of the country’s lowest affordability rates – homeownership costs about 16% of annual household income – make Richardson a thriving place to settle down,” according to the report.

The City has maintained its lucrative highest AAA bond rating from Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s for the eighth year in a row, reflecting outstanding financial performance.

CityLine construction: A plethora of restaurants are open in the complex and across the street at CityLine Market. Peruse a list on the CityLine website. For a full listing of urban living and amenities in Richardson as whole, visit REDP’s RealRichardson.com website.

Aloft Hotel, in the middle of CityLine, is anticipating a June opening.